"Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit"

Posted by Christine Pack

I'm a Christian. That doesn't mean that I'm strong and have it all together. It means I'm weak and admit how much I need a Savior.

I saw this quote on a friend's wall and loved it (can't give attribution because there wasn't any, sorry). But I've taken this quote and added a picture of Christian from Pilgrim's Progress at the foot of the cross because to me, this statement is saying that not only should we as Christians marvel at the Cross at the moment of salvation, but that we should also find ourselves, again and again, coming back to the foot of the Cross in all things: bringing our burdens, confessing our sins, praising the Lord for his mercy and care, crying out for wisdom......in other words, we should be completely and humbly reliant upon our Savior, not just for eternal salvation, but for everyday living and at all times, and in all things.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)

"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

 Books 
Little Pilgrim's Progress: From John Bunyan's Classic
Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress
Pilgrim's Progress

Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English

Pilgrim's Progress: One Man's Search for Eternal Life--A Christian Allegory

 Videos 

The Pilgrim's Progress

Pilgrim's Progress

Dangerous Journey

Pilgrim's Progress: Journey to Heaven

Pilgrim's Progress

 Free Audio 
John Bunyan audio (Sermon Audio)

"We are born into this world wanting the world, wanting possessions, titles, glory, wealth." (Christian, Pilgrim's Progress)

Posted by Christine Pack

The character "Christian," from author John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, speaking in Scott Cawthon's animated version of this wonderful classic:

"This letter I write to my wife, whom I love dearly. I am writing this letter before I cross over the river of death. My destination lies on the other side. I wish now I could have convinced you to make this journey with me, but at the time I was unable to describe the journey at hand. All I had was an emptiness in my heart and a desire to fill it. Now, looking back, I can speak more clearly and tell you that my journey was not in vain. This I know: we are born into this world, wanting the world, wanting possessions, titles, glory, wealth. But they are all fading. They are deceptions that cannot bring us happiness or peace. I pray that you will not sell your soul to the things of this world. Let your heart leave those things behind, for there is a promise that awaits you, a way to be reconciled with God, in this life, and in the life to come. It is true that we are born with a sinful nature, and I have come to know sin as anything I do that requires me to turn my back to God first. We are all guilty of this, and no amount of work we do can repair the damage done. Our deeds and efforts are unclean because we do them with our backs to God. The wages of sin is death…not the death of the body, but death of the spirit. It is by His grace alone that we have hope for salvation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear that burden on the cross. When He died, our sin died with Him. Christ was then raised from the dead to prove that death has no power over those who follow Him. Christ has conquered death, defeated guilt, wiped sin away, halted sorrow, and given us a clean conscience before our Father in heaven. Let God’s Word guide you. Let God’s family give you strength. And let God’s sacrifice pay your cost. All of this I pray, that you will begin your own journey."

This is probably my all-time favorite version of Pilgrim's Progress, even though the animation is a little cheesy. My mother credits this simple little children's video with being instrumental in her salvation. During the couple of years that I was witnessing to my mom (who was a false convert), whenever she was visting with me and we were in the car, I used to play this video "for the kids," of course. My mother still talks about one time in particular when I had parked the van outside a store while I ran in to make a return, and she was in the back with the boys; I pushed "Play" and left her and the boys with the video going.......

Below is just a short snippet of this video from which the above quote by the character Christian was taken.

 Additional Resources 

The Pilgrim's Progress